contaminante
adjectiveCEFR B1
What does “contaminante” mean in English?
polluting / pollutant
polluting / pollutant (as adjective: causing pollution — actividades contaminantes; as noun: a polluting substance — un contaminante atmosférico)
Example sentences
Los vehículos más contaminantes deberían pagar impuestos más altos para que sus usuarios asuman el coste ambiental real.
The most polluting vehicles should pay higher taxes so that their users bear the real environmental cost.
El bióxido de nitrógeno es uno de los contaminantes más dañinos para la salud en entornos urbanos densamente poblados.
Nitrogen dioxide is one of the most harmful pollutants for health in densely populated urban environments.
Las actividades contaminantes están reguladas por ley, pero muchas empresas encuentran formas de eludir los controles.
Polluting activities are regulated by law, but many companies find ways to circumvent the controls.
How to use it
Contaminante means 'polluting' as an adjective (actividades contaminantes, gases contaminantes) or 'pollutant' as a noun (un contaminante atmosférico). It is both adjective and noun, derived from the present participle of contaminar. As an adjective it has two forms: contaminante (singular) / contaminantes (plural). Key collocates: gases contaminantes, partículas contaminantes, un contaminante peligroso.
Common mistake
Contaminante functions as both adjective and noun — context determines which. As an adjective it agrees only in number (no feminine change): la industria contaminante, las industrias contaminantes. As a noun it is masculine: el contaminante, los contaminantes. Do not confuse with contaminado/a (contaminated — the past participle used as adjective): el agua contaminada (contaminated water) vs. el agente contaminante (the polluting agent).